


the line

by chilly_flame



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-30
Packaged: 2017-11-28 00:12:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/668074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chilly_flame/pseuds/chilly_flame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of “The Doctor,” David goes in search of Regina. A story told in three parts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the line

Title: the line

Author:[](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[ **chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Fandom: Once Upon a Time; Charming POV with Regina & Henry, minor mention of Swan Queen

Rating: G

Length: 2k

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Disney/ABC’s Once Upon a Time. And if I did Regina would get hugged more often.

Summary: After the events of “The Doctor,” David goes in search of Regina.

Notes: I’m calling Charming “David” in this story because that’s what Regina calls him during the episode. Thanks to my betas damelola, the-charmings and shemadehimwaffles, as well as my Original Recipe beta Xander, who has been lured into the fandom. Yahoo! 

  


\---

David doesn’t intend to take Henry with him to the edge of Storybrooke. He’s nearly to _the line_ when he hears the sneeze behind the seats, and by then it’s too late. He can’t turn around, and he can’t kick the boy out on the side of the road either.  
  
“Henry, I told you to stay at the apartment.”  
  
“I know,” Henry whines, “But I heard you talking to Red and I know it was about Mom, and that man--”  
  
“Henry,” David says with a sigh, “You shouldn’t be here for this.”  
  
“But why would she want to leave if it wasn’t really bad?” There’s a pause, and David’s heart sinks. “Would she leave--”  
  
 _Me_ , David hears, although Henry doesn’t say it. “No, Henry. I just think… Regina is sad.” He doesn’t want to call Regina Henry’s mother, even though she is. It just feels like too much.  
  
They’re not far from _the line_ when he sees the car. He doesn’t see her, but knows that she hasn’t crossed over. There’s no way, is there?  
  
“Who was that man?”  
  
David takes a breath. “Someone she cared about. Loved,” he adds, because it’s true. “She loved him, and he died.”  
  
“Died?”  
  
He puts the brakes on as they pull up near the edge. David spots her then, leaning against the bumper. She’s seated on the pavement, legs straight out in front, as if she slid to the ground bonelessly. “Yes.”  
  
“But how was he alive?”  
  
“He wasn’t really alive, Henry. He was a monster, but he looked like himself.”  
  
“That’s why she’s here. Because she misses him. And she’s upset about everything else too.” David’s about to open the door when he hears Henry mutter, “About me not wanting to see her.”  
  
“That’s your choice,” he tells his grandson. “ Regina lied to everyone for decades. You don’t have to forgive her.” He doesn’t plan on it, that’s for sure. She destroyed his whole world, over and over. She’s the reason his wife and daughter are missing. At least that’s what he tells himself, even though he remembers very clearly the way Emma shoved Regina out of the way when the portal opened. He remembers Emma’s voice when she said Regina ’s name, the scream of fear in it. Of something other than hatred.  
  
Henry doesn’t turn around to meet his eyes. He’s watching his mom. “Yeah,” he says, sounding unconvinced. “I don’t. She made me feel crazy.”  
  
“I know, kiddo.”  
  
But the fact is that Regina can’t leave. She might be the only reason Snow and Emma can return, if they find a way.  
  
“Are you going to tell her to stay?” he asks.  
  
David opens the door and slides from the seat. Crossing in front of the truck, he’s careful not to go near the line spray painted on the road. When he’s in front of Regina , she looks even more like a rag doll. “Come on, Regina . It’s time to go home.”  
  
She doesn’t respond. Her face is puffy and wet; she might still be crying. He doesn’t want to care. She deserves everything she’s brought on herself. She caused all of this. She is evil. She was born evil.  
  
He blinks, and wonders if that’s really true. He wasn’t born a prince, but he is one now. Emma was born a princess and became a bounty hunter. Snow was born a princess and became a soldier. A hunter. A leader.  
  
He glances back at Henry and wonders what he will become if his mother walks over the line that separates Storybrooke from the rest of the world.  
  
“ Regina , get up. You’re not going.”  
  
She glances up at him. Her face is empty; nothing of herself remains in her eyes. “Leave me.”  
  
“ Regina ,” he says again, until her hand comes up and he is frozen. Suddenly, he is terrified that she is going to shove him over that line, only ten feet away. He can breathe, but not much else.  
  
His feet drag on the pavement as she pushes his body back toward his truck. When she lets him go, he sags with relief and surprise, falling to one knee. He stands and sees Henry staring out the window, one hand pressed to the glass. His face is stricken.  
  
He takes a breath and returns to Regina once more. “What are you doing, giving up?”  
  
Regina flicks a finger and his voice is gone. “I said leave, shepherd. Go back to your little family. Your grandson and your friends. I’m sure your precious wife and child will be back soon enough. They’re an industrious pair. I’ve no doubt they will find a way _home_.”  
  
David reaches out, angry that he has no ability to speak. He grabs her shoulder and she throws him back toward the truck again. Not toward the line. He turns to Henry and holds out a hand, stopping him from getting out of the vehicle. He doesn’t want him to be a part of this.  
  
“You think you know what I feel,” Regina tells him. “You pretend to understand because I took Snow from you not once, but twice. You say to yourself that her loss was an endless one. You believed her dead and gone.” Regina ’s mouth twists in an ugly sneer, but tears spill from her red, swollen eyes. “You know nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing.” Her voice is gravel and misery. “I don’t owe you any explanation but I’ll give you one. Short and sweet, how’s that?” He stares, because there is nothing more to be done. Snot and tears and mascara are smeared across her face, as though she doesn’t care at all about the way she looks. She is not the queen of his old life, or the Mayor of his new. This person is unfamiliar.  
  
“The only person who ever loved me, truly loved me without reservation, was Daniel. My father loved me but not enough to protect me. Henry loved me but not enough to believe in me. Daniel, a simple stable boy, with nothing but honor to his name, was the only one, and he died loving me. Even when I had to… end his suffering yesterday--” her voice breaks, “he had enough love for me to help me let him go.” Here she sobs, and somehow he feels tears prick behind his eyes. It’s a terrible, ripping thing, this sudden sympathy that she _does not deserve_. “You will never know what it means to be so entirely alone in the world, for all the days of your life.”  
  
His voice returns without his knowledge until the words slip from his throat. “You have to let go of this anger, Regina . Snow was just a child--”  
  
“A child who cared only for herself! Who already had a mother but was so selfish as to demand another from a father who denied her nothing. I was but a child myself—hardly 18, terrified and powerless against my mother’s magic, beholden to a King who ruled the land.” She shakes her head, and David believes she doesn’t even see him now. “Evil isn’t born, Charming. It’s made. In my case it was chiseled into stone by pain and despair and loneliness. And now I have nothing. Before at least I had Daniel’s body. I had the smallest hope that one day I might find a way to bring him back.” The flood begins anew, tears almost leaping from her eyes. “Now I don’t even have a body to bury. Only ash and blood. And I am lost.”  
  
He sees. For perhaps the first time, he sees.  
  
“ Regina ,” David says, kneeling at her feet. “Please. You’re the only one who can bring Emma and Snow back.”  
  
“I can’t. My magic only causes destruction. I have nothing to offer you, or anyone in this town. Please leave me here. Let me go. No one will miss me--”  
  
“I will,” comes a voice from behind them both.  
  
It’s Henry.  
  
David turns to glance over his shoulder, and Henry stands firm. He is unafraid but clearly anxious.  
  
“I’ll care if you go. Won’t you forget me if you cross the line?”  
  
Regina watches him as a woman dying of thirst would a glass of water. David wonders if Regina has any idea what will happen to her, or any of them, if she walks over. She cast the curse; there could be unforeseen consequences if she abandons her own creation. This has not occurred to him before this moment, and it makes it even more vital that she stay.  
  
“I--” Regina says, unable to find words. She opens her mouth but nothing more emerges.  
  
“Don’t you want to be my mom anymore?” Henry prods, desperate. “You said you loved me!”  
  
“I do, Henry, I--” Regina takes a breath. “I do love you.”  
  
“Then why? Emma is gone, Snow is gone, and you’re the only one who can bring them back! How could you leave now? Don’t you care about me, or Emma? I know you care about her, I saw you together!”  
  
David shoots a glance at Henry, then back at Regina . She looks stunned, shaking her head. David’s stomach drops through the ground when he gets it. There’s a reason Emma shoved Regina out of the way of the hat. A reason why she insisted on saving her, over and over. It’s not just because it’s the right thing to do. It’s always been more.  
  
“I know you miss her,” Henry goes on, oblivious to the cacophony echoing in David’s head. “I didn’t tell anyone because I knew they’d all, I don’t know, freak out or something. But would you really leave her behind too? Just because you’re afraid?”  
  
“It’s not about being afraid, Henry,” Regina says. “It’s never been about that.”  
  
“Then why?” The boy wipes at his nose, and David realizes he’s crying. “Why would you leave me?”  
  
Regina gets to one knee, then stands. “I won’t, Henry. I’m sorry.”  
  
He goes to her, and David stands back, remembering the love a mother has for a son. He thinks of his own mother, who gave everything for him. He wonders if Regina would do that. Looking at the expression on her face as she weeps against Henry’s hair, he believes she would.  
  
Once again, this is not the same Regina he knew in the old world, or the new. This woman is new. Different. Brought to her knees, but still living. Still breathing.  
  
What would he do, in her shoes? If Snow came home a monster, without hope of her return?  
  
He’s not sure he’d have the strength to end her, as Regina did with Daniel. Poor Daniel, a man Regina has loved for longer than he’s loved Snow. A man she’s been without for what feels like lifetimes.  
  
He reaches out a hand and rests it softly on her shoulder. Her tears keep falling as he draws her beneath his arm, and he exhales as she sags against him. “Come home, Regina ,” he whispers, and she nods once.  
  
“I’ll have Red come get your car later. Ride with us.”  
  
“Okay,” she murmurs, unwilling to let go of Henry. Her son, who doesn’t let go of her either. David’s surprised, because Henry’s barely mentioned Regina since Emma and Snow vanished. Perhaps the unexpected possibility of losing her has made him grasp how important she is in his life. Or maybe a son just loves his mother, even when she does awful things.  
  
Regina buckles Henry in first before herself, and he can’t help but smile at that. Henry rides between them, leaning against Regina’s body. She holds him like a life preserver, the two swaying in time with the Buddy Holly song that plays on the radio as they head home.

 


	2. the line

Title: the circle

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Rating: PG

Length: 5500k, give or take

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Disney/ABC’s Once Upon a Time. And if I did Regina would get hugged more often.

Summary: a sequel to “[the line](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/61536.html).” Regina wants to bring Snow and Emma home.

Notes: I’m meant to be working on three Hurricane Sandy stories right now, but this one needed to be completed before I could get started on those. Thanks to Lola, Tiff and Kristen for the cheers!

  


\---

It takes Regina more than two months to make the hat work.  
  
Those two months consist mostly of David acting as sheriff, and tending to Henry. He sees Regina rarely for the first few weeks. She locks herself away in the mansion, and emerges only to buy groceries. The first time, she doesn’t greet him or even look in his direction when he spots her carrying two bags to her car. She doesn’t speak to anyone, in fact. Her skin is sallow, punctuated by dark circles under her eyes. Her hair is limp, and her typically pristine clothing is wrinkled. She doesn’t wear heels, and he realizes just how small she really is.  
  
The second time he sees her, she’s leaving Archie’s office, and she’s startled when they bump into one another. The dark circles beneath her eyes are worse, emphasized by the fact that she’s obviously been crying.  
  
“David,” she says, as a way of acknowledging his presence before skirting around him in a rush.  
  
“Are you okay?” he asks, but she doesn’t answer, slipping into her car and closing the door with what looks like relief. She doesn’t even glance over at him before putting the car into gear and roaring off.  
  
A few days after that, Henry is quieter than usual for a Friday night. He asks if he can go to the stables the next day to tend to his horse. He doesn’t have school, and David agrees. Henry’s been riding a little, mostly walking the horse around in the paddock. It’s a pleasant enough way to spend a weekend, and David has little else to do.  
  
Except Henry wakes him at 7am , and insists that they go right away. David is stunned that Henry’s fully dressed and has apparently already made them both breakfast of toast and eggs, plus coffee, so they don’t need to stop anywhere on the way.  
  
David showers after he scarfs down the food (far better than his own eggs; Regina taught her boy well). They are out the door by 7:30 and to the stables not long after. David fishes a book out of the back of the truck as Henry runs toward the barn, not pausing to wait as he usually does.  
  
Minutes later, David understands why. As he watches Henry brush his pony from a stool in the corner, he hears a rush of hoofbeats outside. Henry hears it too and pats his horse before going out to meet the visitor.  
  
David follows him, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms comfortably when he recognizes the rider.  
  
It’s Regina .  
  
“Hi, Mom,” Henry says, waving his arm eagerly. And Regina looks just as happy to see him, despite those ever-present dark circles. She is too thin, but she glows as she slides from her steed and leads him toward Henry.  
  
“Henry, what are you doing here so early? I didn’t know you were coming!” Her free hand waves toward him in an awkward gesture, and Henry takes the opportunity to hurl himself into her arms.  
  
“I’m taking care of my horse. I do it every day.”  
  
Regina looks up at David then with approval. “How wonderful. That’s very good, dear. What’s your horse’s name?”  
  
“Carlo. He’s kind of old, but nice. Except for that one time--” Henry freezes, surely recalling the terrible trauma of that day with Daniel, but recovers quickly. “Anyway, he’s good, and I’ve been able to ride him. Do you want to see me?”  
  
“Of course. But I have to tend to my own horse for a few minutes. We had a very long ride today and he needs a good rub down and a brushing.” She glances at David for a split second before asking, hesitantly, “Would you like to help me?”  
  
“Yeah!” he says with far more enthusiasm than any boy should when agreeing to do chores for his mother. Except from the looks on both their faces, this isn’t about chores. It’s about being together, and not caring what they do.  
  
David wonders how Henry found out Regina would be here. Or if he’s suddenly an unwelcome third wheel. Enough time has passed for David to know that the Evil Queen is no threat to her child, or anyone in town except Gold, really. Because of that, he says, “ Regina , are you busy for the next few hours?”  
  
Her eyes are filled with hope when she looks over at him. “Well, I did have plans, but nothing that can’t be moved. Why?”  
  
David attempts his most serious expression. “Would you be willing to stay here with Henry as he tends to Carlo? I have some paperwork to catch up on at the station, and Red and I need to discuss a few things as well…”  
  
“I’d be glad to. Henry,” Regina says, peering down at her son, “would that be all right with you?”  
  
He turns to David, just to make sure, and David nods, winking at him.  
  
“Okay, I guess. That’d be okay.” His words aren’t exactly enthusiastic, but his face says otherwise. “I mean, if you aren’t too busy.”  
  
“Never too busy for you, dear,” Regina tells him, her fingers tracing his face, cupping his cheek gently. “Should I just drop him off--”  
  
“Come by the station. If I’m not there, Red will be, and she’ll find me. Or you know, text me.”  
  
“Certainly. I—I’m glad to run into you. Both of you,” she adds, and David’s sure it’s taking everything in her power not to smother Henry with hugs and affection.  
  
“Bye, kiddo,” David says, and when Henry comes to him for a hug, his face is bright with hope. “Have fun, okay?”  
  
“’Kay. See ya.”  
  
David picks up the book he left on his stool, and heads back to the truck. As he goes, he hears Henry chattering on about Regina ’s enormous black horse. He smiles, and wishes that if his grandson wanted to see his mother so much that he could have just asked.  
  
\---  
  
David has to break up a scuffle between a few citizens who argue over tree branches growing over a property line, so he isn’t at the station at 11. He’s on his way back, passing the diner when he decides to stop in, just in case. He’s glad he did when he spots Regina and Henry at their old usual table. Henry’s drinking a milkshake, and so is his mother. He’s never seen that before, and certainly not before lunch on a Saturday.  
  
That kid is a schemer, that’s for sure, but he looks happy.  
  
“How was the ride?” David asks, sliding into the seat next to Henry.  
  
“Really good!” Henry says, sucking down some milkshake. “Did you know my mom could jump?”  
  
“Jump?” David asks.  
  
“You know, those barriers or whatever, like in the Olympics.”  
  
David eyes Regina , who might still be too thin, and too tired looking, but there’s a light in her that’s been missing for a while. “That’s pretty cool. I’d like to see that next time.”  
  
“Can we do it again next Saturday?” Henry asks eagerly.  
  
“Anytime, dear. My schedule is very… open.”  
  
David knows that; she’s not the Mayor of Storybrooke anymore; she doesn’t socialize or see anyone, and she’s not working. He wonders what she’s been up to all this time. Mourning, perhaps.  
  
“How about tomorrow?” Henry offers. “Gramps, is that okay?”  
  
David’s first instinct is to say no, because he doesn’t want Regina to be able to get everything she wants all at once. But when he sees both their faces, trying not to look interested or excited to simply be in each other’s company, and says, “Okay.”  
  
Regina nods, her cheeks flushing with pleasure. Her milkshake glass is almost full, but she takes a sip now, smiling around her straw.  
  
David orders from Red, and the three of them have a strangely civil brunch together. They all get real meals to go along with the ice cream, and at noon , Regina begs off for an “appointment.” He’s not sure what she’d be up to, until Henry tells him, “She’s going to see Archie.”  
  
David’s eyebrows feel like they’re going to crawl off his forehead. “For what?”

“Therapy.”  
  
David has no idea how to respond to that. “How do you know?”  
  
“Red. I guess Mom was in here last week after an appointment and she ‘fessed up. She said she’s not using dark magic anymore, either. Don’t you think that’s a big deal?”  
  
Stunned, David leans back in his seat. If Regina’s not practicing magic, they’re never going to get Snow and Emma back unless they can open the portal on their own from the other world. “Yeah. How--” he swallows, the hole in his gut opening up into an abyss. He closes his eyes and pictures Snow, the smile that stretches across her mouth every time she sees him. The softness of her hair, the touch of her fingers, so small and delicate against his cheek. And Emma, his child borne of true love who needs a family so badly… He is trying not to cry when he asks, “Has she said why?”  
  
Henry has gotten the whole story. “Some of the magic she did is bad. She took it from a book. But there’s other magic that comes from nature,  and she can do that too, but she has to be patient and let it happen on its own. This morning she told me she’s trying to be calmer. She’s meditating in the forest. That’s why she goes out every day on her horse, to be away from people.” He leans forward and says quietly, “That’s why she’s seeing Archie, too. He’s helping her.” Henry’s eyes blink slowly at David, and he adds, “I heard all that stuff she said that day. At the line, about the man who died. Daniel.”  
  
David nods in understanding.  
  
“She never told me about him. I didn’t know how sad she was.”  
  
“I know, Henry.”  
  
He leans his head on one hand. “I never heard about any of the stuff she said. It wasn’t in my book. Why do you think that is?”  
  
David has his own ideas about that, and they are all about Rumpelstiltskin. “That’s a good question, but right now, I don’t have any answers.”  
  
Henry zeroes in on what David doesn’t say. “But I bet you have some idea. Miss Blanch--, I mean, Grandma,” Henry says, and they both grin at the word, “She said she got my book at the pawn shop. From Mr. Gold. Rumpelstiltskin.”  
  
He sighs. “That’s true.”  
  
Henry’s mouth hardens, because David can’t add much more than that. “That’s what I thought.”  
  
\---  
  
After that, Henry spends Saturdays and Sundays with Regina at the stables. They ride, and from what David can tell, Regina starts telling Henry stories about her childhood in the Enchanted Forest. Nothing too detailed, because David knows about how terrible Regina’s mother Cora was, and he doesn’t hear Cora’s name mentioned. But apparently Regina opens up to her son about a world beyond anything his imagination could muster up.  
  
“Is she doing all right with the good magic?” David asks when Henry returns home to the apartment on a cold fall evening.  
  
“Yeah! Today she did a spell and threw like, a thousand butterflies at me!”  
  
David stares in surprise. “Butterflies?”

  
“Uh huh. She doesn’t do much with fire anymore. But she can make plants grow, and she’s levitating a lot of stuff.”  
  
David frowns, uncertain that a witch who can _levitate stuff_ and _throw butterflies_ is going to be able to open a portal to another world.  
  
As if hearing David’s thoughts, Henry adds, “She said it’s for training. She’s learning to center herself more, whatever that means. I have homework for tomorrow, can I go do it?”  
  
“Sure, kid,” he says, ruffling his hair as he disappears in a blur to his makeshift bedroom. All Snow’s things are still there, but now Henry’s comics and socks are scattered across the floor and the dresser.  
  
\---  
  
When David goes to the mansion a few days later to have a chat, Regina is not alone. Jefferson is there, with the hat.  
  
Apparently even a handful of weeks reunited with Grace have mellowed him.  
  
“Come in, Charming,” Jefferson says, waving an arm with panache. “We’re just performing a little experiment.”  
  
“What are you doing here?” David asks.  
  
“I uh, have had just the tiniest change of heart.”  
  
He opens his mouth to ask why, but Jefferson just shakes his head minutely, so David follows him inside.  
  
“I don’t know that I’ll be able to do anything with the two of you watching so intensely,” Regina says as she stares at the hat. It looks like new, but none of them know if it’s maintained its magical properties. “Even I could be affected by performance anxiety, you know.”  
  
Jefferson rolls his eyes and counters, “You, your majesty? I don’t believe it.”  
  
Regina takes a deep breath and closes her eyes before spinning the hat. Nothing much happens—there’s a spark of energy, but the hat falls over after only a few seconds.  
  
“What made it work last time?” David asks.  
  
Regina ’s eyes are still closed, but she smiles a little sadly. “I had help,” she murmurs, and spins the hat again. This time, it’s more than just a spark; the hat makes almost three revolutions before it loses steam again.  
  
“Help?” Jefferson asks. “From who?”  
  
And there, in that moment, Regina ’s faint smile and the softness of her features tells David everything he needs to know. Emma is undoubtedly who Regina is thinking of. They need her again, or at least the memory of her, to get it to work a second time.  
  
“Emma,” David says aloud, so there is no beating around the bush. “She made the hat work. She made your magic work.”  
  
Regina ’s smile disappears, and Jefferson reels backward in laughter. “Oh, no, that is rich,” he crows, clutching his stomach. “Emma Swan, savior of not only Storybrooke but the Evil Queen herself?” He cackles then, and Regina stands in fury. “Oh my, I just can’t help--”  
  
Regina slaps him across the face and storms out of the room.  
  
David is on his feet in moments, grasping Jefferson ’s collar and getting in his face. “This is my wife and daughter we’re talking about, Hatter. Pull yourself together and leave her alone. She’s my only hope.”  
  
But Jefferson ’s mad laughter continues to echo through the high ceilings and empty rooms. “It’s just too good, Charming,” he manages, “too deliciously good.”  
  
At that, David grabs Jefferson by the lapels and starts to drag him toward the doorway. Regina made the hat work without him once; she can do it again.  
  
Jefferson is still hysterical even when David tosses him down the front steps.  
  
He finds Regina in her study a minute later. She’s clutching a glass of cider to her chest; it’s half empty already. He doesn’t ask permission as he pours his own glass, and neither of them comment on the fact that it’s not even 3 in the afternoon.  
  
“I don’t care, you know,” David tells her. “I mean, I do, but right now, I don’t care what it takes to bring them home. And if you want them home even half as much as I do, then we have enough love to make that hat work. Understand?”  
  
Regina doesn’t look at him, but she nods. He can’t say he’s surprised when he sees her dash away a tear before it falls down her cheek.  
  
“Maybe if we both think of her, it will work.”  
  
Regina winces, pressing a closed fist to her forehead. “It won’t. I don’t have enough magic. I need more time, but—I—I’m afraid. To fail.”  
  
David drains his glass, closing his eyes at the heat that burns in his throat. It’s probably delicious, but he can’t even taste it. “Me too, your majesty.”  
  
“Don’t call me that,” she sneers before swallowing everything left in her glass in a single gulp.  
  
They don’t speak for a while after that, and David pours them both fresh drinks. He takes small sips then, because the cider is as potent as any liquor he’s had at the diner, or elsewhere. His head starts to swim not long after that, and he sets his glass down and leans back against the couch cushion.  
  
He’s half asleep when he says, “You have to bring them home.”  
  
Regina sets the crystal on a side table with such force that liquid splashes up at the wall and across the carpet. “See yourself out, David.”  
  
He stays longer than he intends, because he can’t drive the truck after drinking in the middle of the day. When he finally emerges from the study, he peeks into the kitchen, which is empty, then the living room, which isn’t. Regina is kneeling in the middle of the floor, the hat unmoving on the hard wood floor. Her eyes are shut.  
  
Other than the rise and fall of her chest from the even breaths she takes, she doesn’t move during the entire two minutes he watches her. He keeps an eye on the second hand moving around the face of the wall clock. He says nothing when he departs.  
  
\---  
  
In a week or so, Regina forgives Jefferson for laughing, and they meet for drinks in the diner. Henry is with Red at the station, undoubtedly playing one of their marathon sessions of Jenga, so Granny serves them, eyeing the trio with suspicion.  
  
“What’re you three scheming about?” she asks, pouring them each two fingers of scotch.  
  
“Nothing much, Granny,” David says, not wanting to get anyone’s hopes up.  
  
“Sure,” she replies, narrowing her gaze at Regina . “Keep it friendly or you’ll see the business end of my crossbow, that clear?” she barks.  
  
Regina bristles, but nods curtly. David supposes all that meditation is actually doing her some good.

They don’t chat socially. Instead Regina starts their short discussion with instructions. “Come to my home Sunday after 3. You’ll need someone to watch Henry, because I don’t want him there.”

“What’s going to be different this time?” Jefferson asks, not quite taunting her.

“Perhaps nothing. But I plan on making the hat work, and there’s a chance that I could end up inadvertently bringing something, or someone, other than Emma and Snow back. He’ll need protection.”

David feels goosebumps rise on his skin. Many things exist in his homeland at that are as bad as the wraith they sent through the portal, and they could certainly return through it. “Fine. What else do you need?”

“Nothing.”

Jefferson slugs his drink back in one gulp. “Is your magic under control?” he asks, wincing only slightly at the burn of the whiskey.

“Yes,” Regina replies, and for a moment, David actually believes her. But when Regina reaches out for her tumbler, there’s a little shake to her fingers that’s a dead giveaway.

He doesn’t really care. She has to try. And whatever she needs, David will give it, even if it means everything.

\---


	3. the circle, part II

Title: the circle

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[ **chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Rating: PG

Length: 5500k, give or take

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Disney/ABC’s Once Upon a Time. And if I did Regina would get hugged more often.

Summary: a sequel to “[the line](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/61536.html).” Regina wants to bring Snow and Emma home.

Notes: I’m meant to be working on three Hurricane Sandy stories right now, but this one needed to be completed before I could get started on those. Thanks to Lola, Tiff and Kristen for the cheers!

  


Henry is suspicious when David drops him off at the diner and promises that Red will feed him all the ice cream he wants as long as he hangs out for a little while.

  
“Where are you going?” Henry demands, and David sees Emma in the twisting line of his mouth.

“Sheriff’s business,” he replies, and Henry narrows his eyes.

“I know when you’re lying,” Henry says, and turns his back. He hops up onto a stool, where Red is waiting. She leans down over the counter and rests her head against her palm, smiling at him.

David doesn’t take the time to see if Henry will turn around again.

In a few minutes he’s in Regina’s living room. The space is lit with candles, and the scent of burning sage and freshly-cut grass hangs in the air. Jefferson looks unusually serious, and the two of them sit on the wood floor next to each other. Regina walks the perimeter of the room, spilling nearly an entire box of salt in a circle around it.

“So if something bad comes in, it won’t get out,” Jefferson reasons softly to David. “It doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a shot.”

“But we’re inside the circle, which means…”

“We’ll be with it. Whatever it is. Whoever.”

“How’s she going to do it?” David asks, trying not to disturb her concentration.

“My guess is she’ll do what she did when she retrieved that apple from the past. If the hat works, it’s possible she’ll be able to see her way through to the other side where Emma and Snow are, but it will take far more magic than it did the last time,” he explains. “Then the apple was small; she reached out and grabbed it. I’m not sure she’ll be able to reach out and pull two people through a rip in the fabric of this world.”

David nods. He doesn’t really see why it’s taken Regina all this time to prepare, but then again he knows exactly nothing about magic other than sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Once Regina completes her circle, she joins them and sits cross-legged on the floor only a few feet away. The hat is in the center of their triangle. Regina says nothing, but rests her hands on her knees and shuts her eyes.

Five minutes go by, and the candles flare at odd intervals, sometimes into enormous bright flames, sometimes in a shower of sparks. She reaches out for the hat as she takes a deep breath, until a thud interrupts them, followed by a shout of, “Mom!”

“Henry,” Regina snarls at David, her eyes darker than he’s ever seen them. “He’s supposed to be far away from here.”

“He was,” David replies, getting to his feet as Henry skids into the room, breaking their circle of salt.

“Mom, what’s happening, are you trying to get Emma and Grandma?” Henry asks, his voice high and afraid.

“Dear, it’s nothing, you really should--”

Red bursts into the room, crossing the salt line too. “Shit. David, he slipped out the back door and I didn’t realize it until it was too late—I don’t even know how he knew you were here--”

“You don’t have a lock on your phone, Gramps,” Henry says. “You should really get one.”

David frowns, and Regina rolls her eyes. “Of course.” She stands and picks up the hat, resigned to trying again another time. “We’ll try again another time--”

“No!” Henry shouts, rushing toward his mother. “Just try once, please! I know you want Emma back, and so do I.”

“Henry, it’s not safe,” Regina says softly, soothingly. The sound is the opposite of everything he thinks of as the Evil Queen. “I love you more than anything, and I need you to be safe. You can’t be here--”

“Mom,” Henry begs, “I miss her. You miss her too. I know you can do it. One time, and if it doesn’t work I’ll go. Please.”

David watches Regina, sees her uncertainty and longing. She’s torn, and when her eyes meet his own, David nods. Encouraging. Hoping.

Regina shakes her head. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” she murmurs, putting a hand to her temple. After a deep breath, she comes to a decision. Firmly, she glares at Red. “Fix the broken circle, dear. The salt is over there.”

Red jumps into action, eyes wide. She does as she’s told, but otherwise stays out of the discussion.

“I want no talking, no movement, no sound of any kind,” Regina says angrily. “Henry, I--” She swallows, and reluctantly sighs, “You may stay.”

Henry’s face brightens. “Great,” he says, his sideways grin appreciative. He moves toward her, and they both kneel on the floor near one another. David hangs back with Red at his side. Jefferson leans against the doorway until Regina frowns so fiercely at him that he steps further inside their salt circle.

With that, Regina closes her eyes. Instead of waiting, she reaches out and spins the hat after only about thirty seconds. There is a faint burst of purple smoke, but not much else. She breathes more deeply, and spins it again. This time it’s a stronger gust of magic, but not enough. Regina is frowning now, and David’s heart sinks, until Henry puts a hand on his mother’s arm.

Magic flares out with an audible rush of wind that surprises them all, including Regina. She turns to Henry, whose hand still rests on her arm, and she puts her fingers over his as the hat spins faster.

“Keep holding me, Henry,” she says, and he nods.

All of them step closer, even Jefferson, whose eyes grow wide and wild at the explosion of magic. “Think of them, your majesty, like before. Reach out with your mind--” he says, and Regina does as she’s told.

Her hand inches forward into the air, agonizingly slowly, until it begins to disappear into nothingness. It literally vanishes. It’s shocking to watch as her arm becomes invisible all the way to the elbow. David is startled when Regina cries out, “Emma!”

“Do you feel her?” Henry says, still tugging at Regina’s other arm.

“Take my hand. Come home,” Regina pleads, tears in her voice, on her cheeks.

Something jerks her forward, and Red strides over to her other side, opposite Henry. “I’ll help,” she says, and David realizes he’d better take action too. The last thing they need is to have their only hope sucked through a portal because she had nothing to anchor her in this world. He doesn’t hold her, but stands behind her, arms out in preparation.

When her feet start to slide, David grabs Regina’s hips. He almost falls when he sees Regina’s hand emerge from the nothing with another hand in its grasp; it’s a hand that becomes an arm, a shoulder, then a head of blonde hair, with a face that belongs to the girl who is his daughter. She’s wearing a stunned, hopeful smile when their eyes meet. “Keep pulling, David,” she says. “I’ve got Snow with me.”

They keep pulling. Emma emerges from their tiny portal horizontally, and Snow follows in the same fashion. Only when Snow’s feet cross the plane does Regina turn to Henry and say, “Let go, dear. We don’t want anyone else to follow.” He does, but Regina is able to hold both Snow and Emma up with magic for long enough to set them gently on their feet.

The room is silent as they gaze at one another. It’s shock, David thinks. Months of wishing and hoping, and now, they have what they want.

“So…” Jefferson begins, “I guess that worked.”

Snow approaches and puts her hands on David’s face, and she’s as beautiful as ever. Her hair is a little longer, her clothes filthy and worn, and she smells like she hasn’t showered in a month. “You found me,” she says, and he smiles, and kisses her.

Her mouth is so sweet; his heart skips as it always does when he pulls her into his arms. “I love you,” he murmurs against her lips, before he goes in for another kiss. “Missed you so much.”

“Me too,” she says, pressing her face against his neck, hugging him tightly. There are tears on his cheeks, but he doesn’t care.

He’s startled by Regina’s sob; it sounds like a shot in the otherwise quiet room. She’s clinging to Emma, who clings back, and Henry is hugging both of them.

They look like a family.

And when Emma pulls away for long enough to pepper gentle kisses along the Evil Queen’s brow, he allows himself a long moment of disappointment. This isn’t what he wanted for his child; not at all. But this is what he gets, and it’s what Emma wants, so he’ll accept it. Eventually.

“Mom’s been trying to get to you home for a long time,” Henry says, tugging at Emma’s torn jacket. “We all have.”

“I’ve been trying to get home too, kid,” she tells him, one hand on his cheek, the other around Regina’s waist. “That fairytale land’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“No,” Regina says. “It’s not.”

It certainly wasn’t perfect for any of them, David thinks. And from the looks of his wife and daughter, their trip wasn’t an easy one.

“Thanks, by the way,” Emma says to Regina, whose face streams with tears. Her expression is one of intense relief, and all the strength seems to seep out of her as she falls into his daughter’s arms.

“What’s happening?” Snow whispers, and David realizes she doesn’t know. Emma must have had a hell of a time keeping the secret from her.

“We’ll talk about it later,” David replies softly.

“I think we should talk about it now,” she says more firmly, because Emma doesn’t show any sign of letting the Evil Queen out of her embrace.

“Snow,” he says, turning her face toward his own. “Let’s just be happy you’re home right now, okay?”

“Charming,” Snow replies, glancing back over at Emma, who is stroking Regina’s head, eyes closed in contentment. “This is wrong. Are we in the right place?” she hisses.

He huffs out a short laugh. “You are. I’ll explain what I know soon. At least let me take you home so you can get some rest?”

“I don’t need rest--” she interrupts, her anger starting to brew.

“Hey, Snow,” Red says; he’d practically forgotten she was there. That seems to distract his wife enough from Emma and Regina’s clinch, and there’s laughter as the two friends fly at each other with eager grins.

Henry comes to his side then, gazing up at him with a smile. “We did it, Gramps,” Henry says, and David nods, because it’s definitely a “we” thing. Henry made Regina’s magic work, just as Emma’s had all those weeks ago, and he spends a moment thinking about the meaning of that.

“We sure did, kiddo. Great job.”

Snow turns to Henry then, holding his face between her hands and smiling. “My grandson. We missed you so much, sweetheart,” she says, pulling him into her arms, kissing the top of his head.

“We missed you too, Snow White.” He is positively gleeful as he says her name, giggling. “Lots of stuff happened while you were gone.”

“I can imagine,” she replies with a nod. “I can’t wait to hear about everything.” She eyes Emma and Regina, who have approached their little group with some trepidation. “And when I say everything, I mean  _everything_.”

“Somebody’s in trouble,” Jefferson sings from behind them.

Emma just rolls her eyes. “Can it, Hatter,” she retorts, and deliberately takes Regina’s hand. “I’m staying here with Regina and Henry. Let’s meet for dinner in a few hours at Granny’s and we’ll talk.” She glances at Regina and adds, “Assuming it’s the same time here as it was there. Is dinner in a few hours?”

Regina chuckles and nods.

Snow opens her mouth, undoubtedly to protest, but David cuts her off. “We’ll leave you alone, but only after I get a hug from my daughter,” he says, and Emma’s slanting smile warms his heart. She grabs him and lets him lift her from the floor, her knees bumping against his own. “Welcome home,” he sighs into her ear. “Kid.”

Her breath catches a little, and he leans his head against hers. “Thanks.” He hears the unspoken word float between them, even though she doesn’t say it.  _Dad_.

When he sets her down, the reality of her return hits him, and he can hardly bear to let her go again. So much time has been lost… But he inhales and steps back while Snow slips her hand in his.

“We’ll see you in a bit,” he tells Emma, and she nods.

“Nice badge,” she quips, eying the Sheriff’s star at his belt.

He shrugs. “It’s only temporary.” He ruffles Henry’s hair. “Keep your eye on both your moms, okay, kiddo? Don’t let them disappear into some other world.”

“Yes, sir,” Henry dutifully replies. It occurs to him that if Emma and Regina wanted a few moments of alone time (like what he wants with his wife), they’ll have to wait. That doesn’t bother him at all.

Snow reaches out for Emma’s hand as they make their way to the door, and she takes it. “Emma, are you sure--”

“Yeah,” Emma says, motioning toward the door with her head. “I’m good. We’ll be at Granny’s at 6.”

Snow blinks, frowning. “All right.” She purses her lips, but turns to Regina. “Thank you for bringing us home.”

Regina just nods her head. She almost manages a smile, but it’s a pale imitation compared to the ones she directed at Emma earlier.

They cross the threshold of the former Mayor’s home, Red and Jefferson trailing behind them. It feels strangely anticlimactic after all the trials and tribulations of the past few weeks, but he can’t argue with the results.

Snow stands on the porch and breathes deeply. “It’s actually good to be back.”

“Good to have you back,” he says, pulling her close. “No more vacations without me, got it?”

She nods, but only seconds later, the pleasant expression fades from her face. She glances back at the front door that separates them from their daughter, grandson, and the Evil Queen. “Are you sure?” she asks, not elaborating.

His first instinct is to say no, but time spent with Regina has made him reluctantly change his mind. He nods. “Sure as I can be.”

There’s a sound from inside—the only thing David can describe it as is a  _whoop_ —followed by laughter. He has no idea who it’s coming from, but it’s comforting.

Maybe they’ll be okay now. All of them.


	4. the curve

title: the curve

author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

rating: M

disclaimer: I own nothing related to Disney/ABC’s Once Upon a Time. And if I did, Regina would get hugged a lot more often.

author’s notes: This story was written for the VERY generous donation of kath9567 on livejournal for the Hurricane Sandy fundraiser. I appreciate all the donations people have made, especially kath9567’s! I have two more stories to produce for this fundraiser, and at least one (if not both) will be holiday themed if I can pull my act together. Otherwise, I suppose Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, right?

I was going to leave my “[the line](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/61536.html)” and “[the circle](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/62188.html)” ‘verse behind, but when I received the prompt, it just seemed to fit. So please consider this the final part of the trilogy. Prompt follows at the end.

Thanks to Lola, Kristen, Tiff, and as always Xander, a team of greatness that makes me better every time.

\---

Every second that passes makes Emma more and more uncomfortable.

They’re in the diner, and it feels like her mother is deliberately dragging out their meal, and the conversation. She knows this isn’t really the case, but she’s been back in Storybrooke for almost eight hours, and so far she’s gotten to enjoy exactly two kisses with Regina. One of those was witnessed by their kid, who is probably scarred for life because her hand was on Regina’s ass at the time.

She doesn’t feel that guilty about it, because it’s been 61 days since she’s last seen anyone from Storybrooke other than Snow, who she still sometimes thinks of as Mary Margaret. It looks like Henry’s grown two inches and Regina’s lost about ten pounds, but other than that, everyone else is the same.

Except Emma. She feels different. She knows more about Regina now, perhaps even understands her better, because she met her mother. And she knows even more about her own very bad-ass mother, who can fight her way out of almost any situation. But mostly, with this new information under her belt, she thinks her relationship to Regina is going to change for the better.

She’s loved Regina for a long time. Now that they’re back in the same world, Emma has every intention of saying the words, no matter how hard Regina tries to fight her. She wants them to be together, even if Regina isn’t sure how she feels about their relationship (if one could even call it that). Prior to her “trip” through the hat, she and Regina had a good bit of sex, seasoned with only occasional affection. But as soon as they were separated, all the care she’d stored up for the Evil Queen had come roaring to the forefront. Regina may have ruined her life more than once, but she still managed to make Emma care.

Care seems like a pretty weak word right about now, as she watches Regina’s elegant hands play with a glass of water on the table. She feels almost desperate to reach out and hold those fingers in her own. She wishes she’d chosen to sit next to Regina rather than across from her; Henry is at her side, as is her mother. David, curiously, seems more supportive of Regina than expected. While they aren’t friends, they seem friendly, offering one another a few kind words here and there. But if she were at Regina’s side, she’d get to press their thighs together, or hold her hand. Instead the occasional brush of ankles has to suffice. She literally can’t get enough of Regina’s face, however gaunt it might seem, and Regina rarely takes her eyes from Emma too. At least the feeling is mutual.

“Emma,” Snow says, startling her.

“Huh?”

“I asked you where you were planning to stay tonight. We’ve got room—“

“Regina’s,” Emma replies smoothly. “Henry too. We can pick up a few of his things on our way home.”

Snow seems startled at the word “home,” but Emma isn’t screwing around. She has made no bones during this entire conversation that she wants to be with Regina, even though she gets called to the carpet for “lying to her mother.” She insists (repeatedly) that she was only doing it to keep the peace, and what was the harm in not mentioning how desperately she wanted to get back to Regina? It was no one’s business, and it’s still no one’s business, even though everyone seems to have figured things out.

“Emma,” Snow says, “it’s been such a long day, why not just—“

“Snow,” Emma says, “I know it’s weird, us not being together after all this time, but I want to sleep in a bed tonight, and you and David can have some time to just… be. And I—“ she glances at Regina. “I want to be with Regina, and Henry too. I missed them. Okay?”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Regina stiffens, but David actually rests a hand on her forearm and shakes his head slightly. “Snow, Emma and Regina probably have a lot to discuss. Besides, like you said, it’s been a hell of a long day. Come on, let’s go.”

Snow looks torn; she doesn’t want to give up. She was truly blindsided earlier today, but Emma wasn’t about to hold back her feelings. Not after all these weeks of sleeping on the ground, staring up at the stars, wondering if Regina was thinking of her at the same time. And really, truly believing she was.

To Emma’s surprise, Regina has hardly reacted to Snow’s antipathy. She’s practically subdued, her emotions drifting closer to melancholy than happiness, even though she’s clearly pleased to have Emma back. But where that sadness is coming from hasn’t been explained by anyone. Even in the limited hours she spent with Regina and Henry at the house, all she heard about came directly from Henry; about his horse, and his mom’s horse, and how they worked together to bring her home. At the diner, Snow did most of the talking, detailing their dealings with Cora, Hook, Mulan and Aurora. She wonders how her two friends are doing back in Fairy Tale Land; they’d been as stunned as Snow and Emma were when the sound of Regina’s voice seemed to come from out of nowhere. The hand reaching for her—if Emma hadn’t intimately known the details of that skin, she never would have taken hold of it. But she knew it was Regina right away, from the ring she wore, to the shape of her nails, to the softness of her palm. Snow had hesitated, wanting to bring Mulan and Aurora along, but they’d balked at traveling to a new world, especially by the hand of the Evil Queen. So Emma had reached out, and despite her reticence, Snow had followed. And then they were home.

Now she wanted Regina all to herself.

“I only have to get some of my comics, and my pajamas, and my toothbrush, and my back pack. I uh, have school tomorrow,” Henry says.

Regina glances at her watch. “It’s getting late, dear. I think we should be on our way.”

They all ease out of the booth, and Red makes sure to get in some hugs before they depart; Emma has promised to catch up with her in a big way tomorrow. If she can tear herself away from Regina’s side, that is. Both Snow and David cling to her, not ready to let go.

Once in the Mercedes, Emma reaches out immediately for Regina’s thigh. She squeezes gently as they make their way to the apartment, and Emma’s heart begins to race as they draw close.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Henry says, leaping from the car and slamming the door far too hard.

Regina doesn’t say a word, instead turning to Emma. They stare at each other for less than two seconds before they’re kissing, mouths open, tongues sliding together in the best welcome she could possibly have. Fingers slide through the hair at the nape of Emma’s neck, and the sensation is so decadent that she groans. The space between them is too great; Emma leans closer but it’s awkward in the tight space of the Mercedes. She wants to inhale Regina, who has started to tremble so hard it makes Emma pull away.

“Regina?” she breathes, startled by the tears on Regina’s face. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Regina replies, brushing at her cheeks. “Nothing at all.” She holds Emma’s face between her hands and smiles tremulously. There is a desperate sadness in her eyes.

“What happened to you while I was gone?” Emma asks.

The smooth brow furrows with pain, perhaps even misery. “Not now,” she replies. “Don’t make me tell you now.”

That makes Emma’s stomach swoop somewhere below her feet. “Are you okay? Are we--”

“Yes,” Regina assures her, thumbs soft as they stroke her cheeks carefully. “I just—“ She swallows; whatever happened must have been terrible. “I wanted to wait, tell you when we were really alone, but time could be short, and I—I love you. All right?”

Emma is so shocked she can’t speak, but Regina doesn’t seem to expect any sort of reciprocation. They’re both startled by Henry pulling the door open and climbing in. Regina’s hands fall away from her face and Emma misses them immediately, but turns to Henry to watch him fasten his seat belt.

He does so, but his eyes are wide when he looks up. “What?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Emma replies, clearing her throat after because her tone is a shade too low for comfort.

Regina puts the car in gear and they head for the mansion.

\---

Emma, despite her absence from Storybrooke and from Henry’s side, doesn’t linger after tucking him in. She leaves Regina with him, because they seem far closer to mending fences than they were when Emma left. Henry is eager to be with both of them, but his openness to Regina is obvious. She is relieved he believes in his mother’s love, and she won’t have to beg him to allow them all to be together. Whether they will be a family (a word she still doesn’t truly understand) remains to be seen, but they’ve gotten one step closer.

Because Regina loves her.

Each thought of it pushes the breath out of her lungs just enough, right under her rib cage, making her a bit lightheaded. It’s nothing she ever expected, and it’s terrifying, but she wants it. God, how she wants it. But more than that, she wants Regina to come into this room so she can pull her clothes off her and show her love and missing and desire.

She doesn’t have to wait long, and Emma leaps off the bed as though she’s just been caught doing something very naughty. At least she took her shoes off downstairs. “Hey,” Emma says nervously.

Regina comes straight for her. She pulls Emma into a kiss, pulling at the old red jacket that she wears like armor. It falls to the ground with a whoosh, followed by her sweater, then her tank, then her bra. Hands find her breasts and Emma curves forward as the pleasure darts between her legs. Her dry spell is about to come to a very quick end, too quick, if Regina isn’t careful.

“Slow down,” Emma mumbles between kisses, but Regina shakes her head.

“Let me,” she whispers. “Please.”

There’s an urgency in Regina’s voice, something that sets off a kind of warning bell in Emma’s head. But in the seconds that pass between Regina unzipping her jeans and sliding a hand inside them, Emma decides that the warning isn’t a warning at all. She reminds herself to keep her voice down, but as soon as two fingers find her hot and slick and open and ready, she forgets. She manages to turn her whine into a loud breath instead. “Regina,” she sighs, and starts to move as Regina directs her. She expects to land on the bed shortly, but finds her back pressed against the cool wall, in full view of an open window. She hopes no one’s watching, but cares not nearly enough to stop what’s happening. Regina falls to her knees, yanking down her jeans and underwear, and she wastes no time going for her clit. Emma bends forward pushing a hand down the back of Regina’s collar, not pushing, but holding, needing to feel the heat of her skin. She inches her legs a little wider, though she can’t really part them properly with her jeans still on. But Regina’s never needed much space to maneuver, and Emma kind of likes it when she can thrust her hips high, so she does this, and Regina moans against her. Fingers slide into her again with no resistance at all, and when they pull forward (because Regina forgets nothing when it comes to sex), Emma jerks; already she is on the edge. She wrestles with the desire to cry out, but she somehow resists even though the orgasm swallows her whole in one great pulse. Somehow she doesn’t fall over, but eventually her thighs give out and she slides down the wall in a tangle of knees and jeans and Regina.

When Emma opens her eyes and realizes that Regina has tears running down her face, it almost seems like a trick of the moonlight. It isn’t. Her tears mix with the remnants of Emma herself. A few seconds later, Emma’s brain kicks on like a light switch. That warning was legitimate; something is way more than wrong here, and she needs to know what it is.

Emma sits up, and Regina puts her own fingers to her mouth, murmuring something under her breath.

“Regina,” Emma says, “What is it?”

“I—“ Regina begins, “It’s nothing.” She leans in for another kiss, which Emma avoids.

“Fuck that. Tell me. Something’s tearing you up inside, and I can’t stand it.”

“You seemed to be able to stand it a few moments ago, Miss Swan,” Regina drawls, but it’s a weak attempt at deflection. The edge Emma usually hears is nowhere to be found.

“You aren’t going to distract me with another orgasm. Not to say that it wasn’t incredible, but please talk to me.”

“No,” Regina says, shaking her head. “No.” Regina grabs Emma at the ears, pulling her closer, but Emma puts her hands up and takes Regina's shoulders. “Stop it!” There’s fear in dark eyes now, and Emma thinks she might hyperventilate. “Tell me. Whatever it is, I’ll survive it.”

Regina’s mouth falls open then. She swallows, deflating visibly. “I might not.”

Emma takes a breath. She’s embarrassed, but she gets to her knees and yanks her underwear, damp though it might be, back into place, along with her jeans. She finds her tank on the floor, pulling it on and helping Regina to her feet. They move to the bed in unison, and taking an initiative she rarely uses with Regina, Emma drags her onto the duvet. It’s sinfully soft and fluffy as a cloud, so they sink into it. The waxing moon hangs low in the sky, throwing enough light into the room so she can see Regina’s face, but just barely. She’s mostly in shadow, but that seems like a good thing. “Okay. Tell me.”

Closing her eyes, Regina says, “Your mother might have spoken of a man I knew once as a girl. Daniel was his name.”

Emma nods. She knows this story backwards and forwards, although it's  missing from Henry’s book. Daniel’s death started the whole curse business, or so Emma suspects. She doesn’t really know a lot of the in between story, but a great deal must have happened.

“I… kept his body preserved here, in my father’s mausoleum. And Dr. Whale, in his infinite wisdom, decided to try an experiment and brought him back to life.”

Emma’s heart stutters; there’s a lump in her throat and she’s unable to swallow.

Regina continues, “But it wasn’t really Daniel. He was a monster, and he would have killed anyone in his path, including Henry, and me. So I—killed him myself.”

The stark shock of the words stuns Emma into silence. This is beyond anything she could have imagined.

Regina bursts into tears then, sobs of unbridled devastation. Emma just pulls her into her arms.

\---

After Regina cries for a long time, Emma gets the longer version of the story, one with far greater detail and far deeper sadness.

She can hardly bear to hear it, and wonders how Regina has borne such sorrow. Only when she explains how she nearly left Storybrooke, despite the fact that she has no clue what would have happened to her, does Emma grasp the intensity of her despair.

Henry was the one to draw her back, which is no surprise. Regina speaks of the conversation she’d had with Henry and David at the line, and how it had finally given her a spark of hope. It takes some digging to find out more about how Regina had worked tirelessly to control her magic enough to open a portal for her and Snow to return home, and Emma is touched by her dedication.

“You really wanted to get me home, huh,” Emma says, still a little thrown by all this affection coming her way.

“Well of course,” Regina answers bumping her knees against Emma’s. “Not just for Henry, mind you. For me.” Regina touches Emma’s cheek. Her voice drops to a whisper. “Daniel told me to love again.”

“What?”

“In the few… lucid moments we shared, he begged me to let go. I loved him so much, gods, I still do, but Emma, I feel you inside me and I don’t want to let go but I’m afraid. I’m afraid of losing you—“

“You won’t—“

“I lose everyone! My mother takes everything from me, and she’ll come here—“

“Hey,” Emma says, trying to find some way to give Regina peace, even for a moment. “Your mom, she’s a real piece of work. And I wish like hell I’d never met her, but I believe in you, Regina. I believe you can beat her. I’ll help you. We’ll face her together.” Emma would have really preferred to not face her at all, but that was pretty unlikely considering how they’d escaped.

“I want you and Henry as far away from her as possible.”

“Tonight, we are. We’re in another world. All three of us. And I for one am fucking thrilled about it. Even the threat of Cora can’t ruin that fact. I never thought I’d miss this place so much, and the people in it.” Emma feels shy now, but she has to own up. “Missed you. Every day. I thought about you all the time.”

“Really?” Regina asks. Her voice is high; she sounds so young.

“Oh yeah. I’m so glad to be back, and I… I think you’re glad that I’m back too.”

Some of the fear fades from Regina’s face then, and her eyes soften in a way that Emma gets to see only rarely. “Of course I am. I’m more than glad.” She blinks slowly. “I meant what I said earlier. I love you.”

It’s just as powerful this time, hearing the words. Emma grins. She wants to say it back, but it’s the scariest thing she’s faced in recent memory; scarier than Cora, and ogres, and giants. Instead she drags Regina the few inches it takes to get her near enough to kiss. Regina melts into it, far more relaxed than she’d been earlier. In hindsight it seems like Regina was holding everything back, and Emma blames her raging libido for her inability to pick up on the signals. Now that the truth is out, Regina moans in what sounds like relief, rolling underneath Emma.

This is more like it, Emma thinks, in the middle of the best kiss she’s had in years. It occurs to her that she’s never made love to the Evil Queen, or at least known about Regina’s previous incarnation when they’ve had sex. Though she wouldn’t admit to anyone (including Ruby, who has been known to dig for gossip when drunk), she’s a little excited by the idea. That said, Regina seems like the opposite of evil right now, spread out beneath her, completely submissive. She isn’t even reaching for Emma, her arms resting limply at her side.

That means Emma is in charge. That also means it’s time to get naked. Quickly she strips off her clothes while Regina watches breathlessly. When she’s done, Emma gets to spend time unbuttoning the white shirt she’s admired since she arrived that afternoon. Beneath it she finds lace and warmth, so before she can even finish the undressing thing, she falls forward to kiss Regina’s flesh with an open mouth.

A shudder goes through them both at the touch, and Emma is startled by a little cloud of purple smoke that wafts off olive skin. “What the hell is that?”

Regina is as surprised as she is. “I don’t know,” she breathes. Her eyes meet Emma’s. “Do it again.”

She does. Regina throws her head back with a gasp, and Emma feels heat flare in her entire body. The smoke rises in the air. This isn’t normal, but it feels good.

Actually, good isn’t the right word for it. Ecstatic, maybe. Blissful, definitely.

“Should I stop?” she asks Regina, whose mouth is hanging open, gaze unfocused.

With a tiny shake of her head, Regina groans, “No.”

Moments later there is smoke all around them, as Emma trails her lips across Regina’s belly. She sees sparks when she drags her teeth down a muscled hip, and instead of being afraid, she laughs. “This is crazy,” she murmurs, tossing Regina’s trousers to the floor, along with her panties and bra. “Why didn’t this happen before?”

“No idea,” Regina replies, palming her breasts and arching in a way that makes Emma shove her hips into the mattress. “I might have been, oh god, yes—“ she mutters, “too unhappy.”

“You’re not unhappy now though,” Emma asks. She just wants to be sure.

The low chuckle that meets her ears sends chills down her body, starting behind her ears and petering out somewhere around her ass. “No, dear.” Her fingertips pinch her own nipples, and Emma whines because she can’t do everything at once.

Watching Regina, so vulnerable and open right now, the words no longer seem scary. They seem necessary. “I love you,” she says, and it’s easy. When Regina lifts her head, eyebrows raised, Emma gives her a wry grin. “I mean it. It’s not just because we’re, um, doing this. And I don’t think I’m high on magic, or whatever. I knew a while ago.”

Regina nods, her smile so filled with light Emma wants to give herself a high five. She finally, finally said the right thing at the right time.

Before they can get distracted, Emma gets back to work, finding her way between Regina’s legs. The smoke grows thicker now, although it’s more like mist that doesn’t have a scent. The room also seems weirdly lit, even though the moon has to have set some time ago. She ignores logic and instead presses her tongue flat against Regina’s wetness. She’s missed everything about this; the scent, the taste, the sounds that Regina makes. Tonight is no exception; she’s clearly trying not to make noise, and everything’s coming out like one long desperate whimper. It is an unbelievable turn on.

Emma watches the strange trails of purple that rise when she strokes Regina’s thighs. Her own pleasure is growing as she flicks her tongue, heightening when Regina slides one hand into her hair.

“Emma,” Regina says in a trembling voice, “Come up here.”

That’s a surprise. “Are you sure?”

Regina nods eagerly. Emma’s a little sad about it; she loves the flutter of muscle when Regina comes against her mouth, but it will have to wait. Instead she crawls up, and when their bodies are pressed together her disappointment vanishes. She slips a hand down and when her fingers press inside, Regina steals a kiss. They rock together, with Emma parting her legs to straddle one of Regina’s, and it’s just as good as anything she’s ever felt. They’re so on the same wavelength that when Regina starts to clench around her fingers, Emma’s on the precipice too, and she keeps on moving until they’re both crying out in climax. Her whole body is shaking as she slumps to the side, still feeling the aftershocks pulse through her like the beat of a heart. Both their hearts, together.

She laughs, eyes closing in exhaustion. She’s been awake for maybe two days straight, and now she is ready to crash. “That was the best possible ending to the longest day of my life,” Emma sighs.

“Agreed,” Regina replies. “Can’t believe you’ve only been home a few hours.”

They rest together, with Regina’s hands stroking her shoulders and back with the most wonderful pressure. “I don’t want to leave,” Emma says, very seriously. “Could I stay here with you guys for a while?”

She feels Regina’s chest rise and fall in a huge breath. “Yes,” she replies, and Emma hears every layer of emotion in the word.

She’s almost asleep when her phone rings from somewhere across the room. Already she wishes David hadn’t given it back to her at the diner. Doesn’t she deserve at least one night of uninterrupted sleep in a bed?

“Don’t get that,” Regina mumbles, shifting very slightly.

The movement’s just enough to get Emma up. “It will be quick. I’ll make it quick.”

A grunt is her only reply. Emma grins. So much for romance.

She grabs her jeans and yanks the offending instrument from the back pocket. “Swan,” she barks.

“Emma, are you all right?”

“David?”

“Yes. We’ve had a few calls about the mansion tonight. Is everything okay?”

Emma glances over at Regina, who hasn’t moved. “We’re all fine. What kind of calls?”

Regina’s head lifts from the pillow, and she frowns in the near darkness.

“Smoke, coming from the second floor. And Norris Templeton said there was a bright light too, maybe from a fire, so we sent a truck.”

Emma, naked as the day she was born, hunches down on the floor, since the window across the room is not only cracked a few inches, but the curtains are wide open. It’s not like she forgot that, but she wasn’t exactly thinking clearly a while ago. “Um, do you mean a fire truck?”

“Yeah. I’m outside, but everything looks okay from here.”

She puts a hand to her forehead. Her father’s outside, and she just had semi-noisy sex with the Evil Queen. Oops. “It’s fine. Really. But I didn’t hear a truck siren.”

Her father laughs. “You only need a siren if you’re breaking traffic laws, and we… paused at the two stop signs on the way to Regina’s. Anyway, are you sure you don’t want me to check things out—“

“No!” she almost shouts, grimacing. “I mean, I’ll do a walk through. I don’t want to wake Henry, or Regina. They’re both asleep.”

There’s a long pause. “What was the smoke, Emma?”

She laughs, trying for authenticity, but it sounds more like the road to hysterics, even to her own ears. “I have no idea. Maybe Regina’s neighbors are trying to harass her or something.”

“By reporting that her house is on fire and trying to help? I don’t think so. Norris said he thought the smoke looked… not like regular smoke. He thought Regina was doing magic.”

How would she explain that the smoke was just a by-product of some really hot screwing, and that it wasn’t Regina’s fault at all? That maybe it was only Emma’s presence that brought the stuff into being? “She’s not. I swear.”

“Emma—“

“David, I want you to send the truck back to the station, and I want you to go home and see Snow. I can’t believe you’d leave her side after she’s been gone for so long—“

“You’re my daughter, Emma. If you’re in danger, I’ll do whatever it takes to rescue you. And besides, she’s here too.”

Emma stares at the ceiling, wishing she could disappear into the floor. “Oh. That’s… nice,” she says weakly.

There’s a moment of static in the phone, and Snow’s voice reaches her ear. “Emma, honey, why don’t your father and I come in and we’ll make you some cocoa? We’ll see that you’re all right, and you can settle in too, and –“

“Snow,” Emma cuts her off. She is about to launch into a “You might be my mother but you don’t own me” tirade, but Snow doesn’t deserve that. Not after all they’ve been though. “Okay. Just listen. When you fell in love with David, would anyone have been able to stop you from trying to be with him?”

There’s a long silence; she can’t even hear breathing. For a second she thinks she’s been hung up on, until her mother replies, “Never.”

“So. That’s kind of where I am right now.”

She hears a big breath from across the room, and although she resists for a second, she looks up. Regina is watching her, very still and silent. She’s not crying, or smiling, or frowning. She just… stares.

Emma turns away, curling into a little ball on the floor. She pulls her cold tank top on over her head while she waits for Snow’s reply. She suspects her parents are discussing the current situation in whispers, since she can hear some s’s but not much else. Another 30 seconds go by before David is back. “How about we come by for cocoa in the morning, then?” he asks brightly.

“Cocoa in the morning,” she says. It’s a question for Regina, who rolls her eyes and nods before falling back against the pillows mumbling something under her breath. “That’s fine. But not before 10. We all need some sleep.”

“Perfect. Good night, Emma. I love you,” her father tells her.

“Um, yeah. Me too,” she replies, because she’s never said that to David before, and it might be fine for him, but it still feels weird for her.

“Love you too,” Snow says as well, and Emma just grins as the call ends.

“I take it we’re having guests tomorrow,” Regina says, her voice muffled.

“Sorry. Better tomorrow than now, right?”

“I suppose. Come back here please, and take that filthy shirt off.”

Emma crawls on her hands and knees toward the window. “Hang on, I just need to—“ she shuts the window the remaining few inches, and yanks the heavy curtains closed. Now if they put on a light show again maybe the neighbors won’t notice. She gets up and tosses her shirt to the floor, hoping she doesn’t trip on anything since now it’s pitch black. “What do you think that was?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. It’s quite different from any magic I’ve used in the past. But I can look into it. I’ve been far more… in tune with nature since you’ve been gone. It could be a side effect.”

Emma bumps into the mattress and flops down onto it, searching for Regina. When she finds her, she burrows under the duvet and into her arms. It is unimaginable comfort after endless cold nights on the ground. “What kind of in tune do you mean?”

There’s a yawn, and Regina sighs into her ear. “Can I tell you tomorrow? I’m exhausted. My little trick today took a lot out of me.”

“And your little tricks tonight took a lot out of me,” Emma jokes badly, and is rewarded with a derisive snort.

“Terrible,” Regina says.

“And you love it,” Emma retorts, resting a hand on the curve of Regina’s bare hip. Her skin is soft and smooth beneath her fingers.

Regina presses her lips to Emma’s temple. “Indeed I do.”

 ~the end  
  
 _prompt:_ _I think I would like a story of their first time together after Emma has returned from FTL - they had been a couple for a few months already and Regina helped to bring them back using her magic somehow - Emma cannot wait to tell Regina that she met Cora and when she returns she wants to move into the mansion with Regina but it hasn't happened yet - just their first "alone" time in a few months... they have missed each other desperately..._


End file.
